Jackson Square Historic District Association
Greetings One and All,
We are proud to announce that the Jackson Square Historic District Association [JSHDA] has been revived, revised, and RE-VISIONED.
As some of you may know, this organization came into being in 1998 as a call to action to save the ground floor retail in Jackson Square from the Dot-Com encroachment that was happening throughout the city. With a successful campaign tag lined Save Jackson Square, we were able to reclaim the retail spaces on the south side of Jackson Street from Sansome to almost Hotaling. Since that campaign, the organization has been primarily focused on keeping the area clean and tidy, trying to maintain the gains made in the early part of the last decade, and continuing the seemingly never-ending fight to save the Belli Building.
Today we would like to let everyone know that the JSHDA is now a 501C3 non-profit organization and we have beefed up our board, our mission, our goals, and our effort to not only keep Jackson Square a vital and premier part of San Francisco but also to help guide the area into the next decade and insure that Jackson Square remains a destination for all residents and visitors to The City.
The following is a quick take on what we are currently working on:
• With the current economy and the challenges that all local businesses are facing, we are working with both landlords, renters, and interested businesses to ensure that there is a place for everyone in The Square while still maintaining our zoning designation that all ground floor spaces have a retail component.
• With the new crop of residential offerings in The Square, we are working with the builders and realtors to help get the word out that Jackson Square [with a walk score of 98 out of 100] is a great place to work AND live. These residential offerings currently include the Hotaling Stable development and 25 Hotaling Place.
• There are a few retail spaces currently available in the area and we are working to get the word out that these spaces are ready for occupancy and that Jackson Square remains a vital, active, and prestigious address for any business. We will call upon all of our members to help set up a network for brokers and developers to be able to reach our specialized membership. With this in mind, we would like to welcome La Boutique at 414 Jackson on the ground floor. Stop by and welcome them to the neighborhood.
• We strongly support the 555 Washington Street residential tower and the expansion of the Transamerica Redwood Park at the base of the Pyramid. The project sponsor has agreed to upgrade three adjacent blocks of Jackson Square as a part of the proposed project.
• We have also launched a "Greening of Jackson Square" movement that will make The Square more pedestrian friendly while at the same time enhance the historical aspect of the neighborhood. Some of these imporvements will be designed and paid for by the project sponsor at 555 Washington.
• We are rapidly moving forward on the restoration of the International Settlement Arch that will once again re-span Pacific Avenue at Montgomery and bring back a nearly lost piece of history to the area.
• We will continue with our sidewalk sweeping program and as new businesses move into the neighborhood and provide additional financial support, we will expand the area and services being offered.
This is just a taste of what we have in store and we invite you to help us. Here is a link to a PDF file of our membership form with our request for annual dues and a section to provide us with the all important contact information so that we can continue to keep you informed.
Should you have any questions, please contact any of us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sarah Stocking
Waldo H Gibson
Jessie Dunn-Gilbert
Peter Scott
and the rest of the JSHDA Board
info@jacksonsquaresf.org
{AND REMEMBER THAT WE ARE THE DOT ORG AND THAT OUR SISTER ORGANIZATION - JACKSON SQUARE ANTIQUE AND ART DEALERS ASSOCIATION IS THE DOT COM. info@jacksonsqauresf.com}
